Looking for a DL manager and an optimizer

Let me start by saying hi. I'm new to this forum and I love it. I just received some outstanding help form TimW over the last couple of days dealing with a virus. http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?p=1056386&posted=1#post1056386
Throughout the ordeal I was told that the DL manager I was using (FlashGet) was a dangerous program. So I uninstalled it. TimW recommended GigaGet and I gave it a try. It seems to be sucking up my 2 GB of memory. That and there are some details about it that I just don't find user friendly. Not that Flashget was perfect but it was better. I cannot use the one that comes with FireFox. Somehow about a year ago it got messed up and I can't fix it. If I try to use it for any files over 5Mb it will freeze up unless I keep my browser moving. Which generally means sitting there hitting the refresh button until the DL finishes. For large files thats really annoying. Plus I like a lot of the extras that come with the other managers/accelerators. I looked around the site briefly but there is just so much out there that I figured it would be better/easier to just ask.

I'm also looking for a good optimizer. There is just so much out there I don't know where to begin. Plus a lot of what they do is over my head. I use my computer as a home entertainment system. So I watch a lot of movies, TV, Listen to the Radio and music. As shown above I also DL a lot of stuff. I don't really game. I have a three monitor (two video card) system with XP, 2 GB of RAM and a 2.53 478 chip. My bootup takes a little while. Not really a long time but just enough to be annoying. Shutdown also takes a little while. Right now I use that gigaget program and I think if I can replace that with a lighter program it will pick up its overall, but it does kind of "dog" especially compared to when it was new. Oh, I have a lot of codec's so that probable doesn't help. I use Windows Media player 10, Media player classic, Nero, and powerDVD 6. I watch a lot of HD stuff. any ways any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks guys, I'll give that a try now. If I use the codec pack you suggest do I/should I try to remove the other ones I already have. I do use media player classic for 95% of the files I watch but I like some of the other feetchers to the other players ie zoom A-B repeat and my media player classic doesn't do HD as well as WMP 10 and Nero. at least not on my system. But anyway I'll give those other programs a look. thanks again

 

ok I'll do that later right now my wife locked her keys in the truck and I have to go be a hero. I figure I'll mess around a little and when shes not looking I'll use my key that she doesn't know I have. lol

 

I've been using the DL manager now for a while. I like it. It took some getting used to after flashget but its not bad. Some of the features I like some not so much but not bad. My system still takes a while to boot and shut down. Does anyone know a way to speed it up? Also it can't handle multiple tasks as well anymore. Thanks for all of your help guys.

 

If you're still looking for one, I can unequivocally recommend FreshDownload.

 

Sorry didn't know you really needed that kind of detail. I did everything Steve_East9 said in post #2. I didn't know about the 'Basic Computer Maintenance' Help Guide 'sticky' I'll check it out now. I did the Read and Run Me FIRST' Help Guide sticky in the Malware Forum, before I began working with timW to get the virus off of my system. I have looked at my startup programs and everything appears to me like it is required by the system or programs that I use. I was just wondering if there were optimizers that this site recommended and how to choose the one best for me. I'll look at the Maintenance guide and report back.

 

Ok just looked at the maintenance guide. Yes I have already done everything it suggests.